Battling the Great Depression

An out -of -work money manager in California loses a fortune and wipes out his family in a murder-suicide. A 90 year old Ohio woman shoots herself in the chest as authorities arrive to evict her from the modest house she called home for 38 years. A record 500,000 homeowners have entered the foreclosure process. That trend is expected to continue through next year despite current government and lending industry programs.

I could go on and on listing the tragedies resulting from our current economic crisis. Depression and anxiety are understandably on the rise. Although, admittedly it is not yet clear there is a statistical link between suicides and the financial downturn since there is generally a two year lag in national suicide figures. But, historically, suicides increase in times of economic hardship, and the current financial crisis is already being called the worst since the Great Depression.

It's more important than ever to be able to recognize the signs of depression.

Warning Signs of Depression:

• Mood Changes-including feeling sad, irritable, becoming easily angered or having difficulty getting along with friends and family members
• Loss of Interest-in hobbies, sports, or social activities (avoiding friends and family)
• Lack of Enjoyment- even when involved in an activity you once enjoyed
• Changes in Sleep- difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep, or desire to "sleep all the time" to escape reality
• Changes in Appetite- gaining OR losing weight in a discreet period of time
• Changes in Energy Levels- such as feeling "tired all the time", restlessness or agitation
• Difficulty focusing or concentrating
• Self-Criticism-feeling like a failure or that "it's all my fault" even when not your responsibility
• Unexplained Physical Pain-headaches, abdominal pain, back and neck pain, muscle tension

It's important to understand that depression is a very real and serious issue. Some depression passes with time. Other cases may require intervention. In any case, the depressed person needs to feel safe enough to talk about his/her feelings even when they are difficult to put into words. Keeping their fears and feelings a secret is not helpful to those that feel depressed. The depressed person already feels "like a loser" and doesn't want to hear your judgment about why they shouldn't feel depressed.

Ways to help someone who is depressed:

Offer to listen without judgment- don't wait for them to come to you if you suspect depression, because usually they won't

Encourage them to talk about it-if the depression is long lasting (more than a couple of weeks) they may be withholding their true feelings. Blocked feelings lead to a "deadening" of our emotions

Look for the anger- In some cases, depression is "anger turned inward". Sometimes resolving the issue causing the anger restores emotional balance.

Eat healthy and consistently

Exercise consistently - even if it feels like a Herculean task. Endorphins are your friend!

Keep to a regular sleep schedule-no matter what.

Volunteer- donate your time to a worthy cause, preferably something you feel passionate about. It's harder to sit in our own misery when we are actively helping someone else. Try it, it works!

And last but certainly not least, talk to a professional. This is what we do....as therapists we can give you the empathy and skills you need to get your life back on track. Why feel miserable for another minute?

Comments

[Wild08]

Loved your first article Colleen. Jeez, I fit most of those descriptio­ns...bette­r start taking better care of myself! Look forward to more articles!
MB

[Huffybuff]

There are plenty of statistics to show that suicides go up in a depression. These statistics go back about a hundred years. This is the baby boomer long-wave cycle.

http://www.longwavepress.com/Baby_Boomers_Generation_X_SCv1a.pdf

[Alchemist7]

Anything one can do, short of simply taking a medication is well advised.
There's going to be a lot of people in need of professional help in the coming months.
I encourage anyone to seek the council of friends and professionals.
Depression is a very real and gripping problem that costs far more than a loss of productivity.

[Pdubya]

I appreciate your information, it is very useful. What happens though, when 80% of Americans fit most of those criteria because the economic depression is affecting everyone?

My hunch is that depression will turn to anger. i think a lot more are experiencing the latter than you expect.

[colleenperry]

Thanks for your comment. If 80% of Americans fit the criteria for signs of depression, then they need to do the same things I've suggested. Feeling depressed although not as long lasting as actual clinical depression still responds well to self-care and talking through the feeling. I agree with you about many Americans feeling anger. Maybe I need to write an article about coping with anger. It's just as legitimate a feeling as any other and responds when the need driving anger is discovered and then met.

[ThinkForYourself2]

This is good advice above but just be sure to avoid psychiatric medication. Know that nearly every news story you've heard were someone goes on a stabbing or shooting spreee has been directly tied to legally prescribed psychiatric drugs. Also know that the side effects of withdrawl can be many times worse than the side effects of being under the influence of the drugs.

http://www.ssristories.com/index.php

[colleenperry]

It sounds like you're afraid of anti-depressant medications. Many people with depression would say that the right medication saved their life. And I don't know where you're getting your information but not every story where someone goes on a shooting spree or stabbing is "directly tied to legally perscribed pyschiatric drugs." That is simply not true. In fact, in the cases of people with paranoid schizophrenia, it is often drug compiance that keeps them from violence to themselves and others.

[ThinkForYourself2]

Hello Colleen. My belief that psychiatric drugs are extremely dangerous comes from personally seeing the damage that psychiatric drugs have done with my own family and friends. I've seen how people can become dependent on these drugs, behave completely out of character, and do destructive and deadly things to themselves and others without warning. As a result I've done years of research about these drugs and have read hundreds if not thousands of medical articles. My conclusion is that most every recent case of shooting sprees, stabbing sprees or suicide has been the direct result of a psychiatric drug. Psychiatric drugs can exacerbate conditions or create new ones.

Drugs are like putting a band-aid over the low oil light although this analogy is actually understating the potential dangers. All psychiatric medications have serious side effects bar none and it can takes years to safely wean off some of them. I believe there's much better ways to handle depression, anxiety ADD etc.. other than trying to numb the condition with medications. You've named some fantastic ones that really do work well.

I do urge everyone reading this to look at the website attached to see how extreme psychiatric drug reactions can be. You won't be prepared for what you see.

Thanks for the reply Colleen and hope you can see my point of view on this subject.

http://www.ssristories.com/index.php